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The good news is that getting fit is not as hard as you may think. Use these tips to get started.

By doing different activities when exercising, a person will be able to receive maximum value for their effort. For instance, instead of doing all your workouts on your treadmill, take a walk around your neighborhood. The different kinds of stress that the different exercises put on the body will yield different results. The body can only keep on improving when it is constantly challenged with new and different routines.

One way to improve your fitness is calorie counting. You need to keep track of your calories because your calorie balance determines how your weight changes from day to day. If your calorie consumption is at your maintenance level without exercise, and you lose calories by exercising, you are going to be lean and fit very quickly.

Doing some simple push-ups can help you get your triceps in shape. If you place your hands at 45 degree angles when doing them, you will directly target these muscles. This move will tone up your triceps in no time.

Don't focus on just using crunches to strengthen your abdomen. A study at a prominent university revealed that even 250,000 crunches only burns enough calories to lose just one pound. If crunches are all you are doing, you aren't working your abs as hard as you need to. Find other ways to exercise your abdominal muscles so you achieve the results you really want.

You don't have to give up your favorite TV shows to find time to exercise. If you exercise during the commercials, you can watch TV as much as you like and still get a good workout.

A great fitness tip is to start doing dips. They work three areas of the body: the shoulders, triceps and chest. They can be done in a number of ways too. If you place two benches next to each other, you can use them to do dips. If you're feeling really ambitious, set a barbell on your lap while you dip.

Crunches are great, but also do a few true sit-ups while you work your abs. The bad reputation of sit-ups is due to improper form. Avoid doing sit-ups when your feet are anchored to a piece of furniture. They are still harmful to your back muscles.

Try counting in reverse. Instead of counting towards your desired number of repetitions, start at the end and work backwards. It will make your workout seem shorter and easier because you are allowing yourself to think in lesser amounts. Knowing immediately how many reps you have left is a better motivator than counting up.

Listen to your body when it tells you to rest. It's common to be told that you can only rest at certain points in the exercise. Only you know what is best for your body. Take a rest whenever your body is letting you know that it needs it. If you keep on pushing when your body is worn out, you are likely to injure yourself.

Make sure not to wrap your thumb whenever you are doing pullups or lat pulldowns. It is much better to keep your thumb next to your index finger. Not wrapping your thumbs enables you to isolate the lat muscles instead of involving the muscles in your arm. Even though this isn't a natural feeling, it will work to target different muscle groups.

One of the best fitness tips you will find to develop your quads is to do leg extensions. Leg extensions can be done at the gym, as most gyms have a machine to help with extensions. The exercise involves simply extending your legs up while in a seated position.

In order to achieve a sculpted appearance, always perform squat movements with barbells. Squats are a great way to build up your core muscles and add to your overall mass.

If you get injured, try to resume your exercise routine as quickly as is safe. Do some light exercising and only put a small amount of intensity into it to help your muscles heal correctly. The gradual buildup of resuming a workout will help heal injured muscles by stretching them and getting blood flowing to them.

Jogging is a great workout and can help you increase your stamina. The key is to begin by jogging somewhat slow and then increase your time each day or week. You want your heart rate to stay at about 75% of its max, which is usually from 120 to 150 BPM. This, of course, depends on age.

Use these suggestions to get your fitness routine under way. It is critical that you make fitness part of your everyday lifestyle, as opposed to a weekly habit. As you progress in your fitness program, you'll notice that you will gain energy and have better ability to cope with stress.